ISSUE 03 2019 NEWS AND KNOWLEDGE FOR TODAY’S MARKETER

Dear Fellow Marketer:

The dictionary defines people skills as “the ability to work with or talk to other people in an effective and friendly way.” Sales, marketing, medical and legal fields are typical occupations for those with strengths in negotiation, presentation and public speaking – all abilities that enable relationship building.

Whether people skills come naturally to your company’s public-facing employees or they work at honing them, solid relationships grown through dependable and consistent customer care are essential for the health of any business or organization. According to global trade organization ICSC, 65% of consumers say the quality of customer service is a factor when deciding where to make their purchases.

In this issue, we’re shining a light on customer retention and growth strategies to get you thinking about managing the most important – and lucrative – relationships you have.

How do you decide who your best customers are? You may be relying on the recency/ frequency/monetary value formula to segment your customers, a great way for analyzing past purchase behavior. But it doesn’t always tell the full story.

Consider, too, “wallet share” to determine total customer value, meaning they may be spending a small portion of their budget with you and more of it with your competitors.

Deploying satisfaction surveys. Responding promptly to online reviews. Delivering handwritten thank you notes. These are just a few of the strategies and tactics we’re exploring in the following pages. We hope you’ll take a look and find a nugget or two, as you move into planning your marketing programs for 2020 that support your retention, acquisition and brand building goals. Let us know how we can help!

Happy Marketing,

From your friends at Allegra

IN THIS ISSUE

02 A Beginner’s Guide to Customer Surveys Learn how to capture valuable feedback from your buyers to keep them coming back for more.

04 The Customer Experience: Why it Matters Check out eye-opening statistics about what factors influence your customer retention rates.

05 Event Signage: It Can Be as Simple as 1-2-3! Find out an easy formula to ensure your special event signage is seen and your brand is remembered.

10 Top 20 Marketing Ideas You Can Take to the Bank Integrate some of these tactics into your 2020 marketing plan to test new ideas or strengthen your existing programs.

12 The Business Benefits of the Handwritten Letter Discover why adding a personal touch to your customer communications can go a long way toward building loyalty.

ISSUE 03 2019

C o n t e n t s

06 SPOTLIGHT

Six Tips to Transform Customer Feedback Into Marketing Magic

A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO

CUSTOMER SURVEYSW hile most would agree a survey is a good way

for a company to gauge someone’s satisfaction

with a recent purchase, others might be surprised at

how effective it can be as a business-building tool to

cement relationships and increase the lifetime value

of their customers.

To find out more, Marketing Insider reached out to

John DiPippo, CEO and owner of SurveyAdvantage,

to talk about the basics of customer surveys.

The use of ongoing surveys is one of the best tools to

create a “loyalty loop.” They are excellent – and efficient

– ways to obtain regular feedback from clients and

prospects. All sources of input are good, but compared

to personal interviews, online surveys are optimal. They

can garner feedback from more customers, more quickly,

and in a data-driven format that invites analysis and

prompts action. At a minimum, you should be surveying

active, revenue-generating customers, because without

them you don’t have a business.

QA

MI: Why conduct customer surveys?

DiPippo: Successful businesses employ processes

Q MI: Who should use surveys?

that create outstanding experiences for customers. nonprofit that’s dependent on customers, members A

You need to keep them happy, engaged and coming or donors for its success. In short, almost everyone. back for more.

DiPippo: Just about any company, organization or

02

“You need to keep them happy, engaged and coming

back for more.” – John DiPiPPo

The only exception may be if your organization is so

small that the owner has an extremely close personal

relationship with each client, and the feedback loop

already exists.

Today, if a customer wants to find alternatives to your

business, it’s a click away. This change in consumer

behavior needs to be recognized and embraced by

businesses. Ultimately, we want to create a growing

following of loyal customers who can be brand

advocates for our businesses.

QA

MI: What information should you try to get?

DiPippo: You may want feedback to determine how

satisfied a client is with the product or service they just

purchased. You might seek to understand how well your

team provided support. Of course, you’ll want to measure

how likely it is that the customer would recommend your

business to others.

It’s also critical to solicit open-ended comments from

customers to help you qualify their answers. Your goal is

to gather actionable data that is both quantitative and

qualitative.

MI: What frequency or schedule should be set? QA DiPippo: Customer experiences change over time, so

it is critical that any process you implement is continual.

Don’t fall into the trap of doing one customer satisfaction

survey during the year, getting positive results and

thinking all is OK.

There are pros and cons to the frequency you choose, but

it should be often enough to detect changes in customer

attitudes so they can be addressed in a timely manner.

Surveying too infrequently can miss these changes and

expose your business to client dissatisfaction or worse,

customer defection.

QA

MI: What’s the best way to distribute one?

DiPippo: Customer surveys can be conducted via phone

calls, sent by mail or email, posted on websites or handed

out in person at events. Of all these methods, consider

email first.

Email allows you to time the survey with your customer’s

purchase transaction so that the feedback you receive is

recent and relevant. The electronic format also makes it

easy for you to collect and tabulate results.

QA

MI: Can customer surveys build business?

DiPippo: Absolutely! When you have a culture focused

on creating great customer experiences, all the things

you do – including sending surveys – demonstrate you

care. Remember, that which you do not measure cannot

be improved.

Surveys can also inform shoppers about products or

services of which they may not be aware. For example,

a question on oil changes followed by another on brake

repairs may prompt a buyer for one service to try another.

QA

MI: Once we’ve collected the data, then what?

DiPippo: If you receive negative feedback, focus on

engaging unhappy customers and resolving issues to

their satisfaction. When dissatisfied clients are ignored,

they may express their frustration online to hundreds of

thousands more in social media forums.

Looking at the big picture, you’ll want to create a business

culture centered on building loyal customers. So, share

survey feedback with your staff. Focus on

listening, learning and making continuous

improvements to your organization. n

Looking for assistance with creating,

distributing or analyzing customer surveys?

Let us know; we can help.

ISSUE 03 | 2019 03

A 7% loyalty increase can boost lifetime profits per customer by as much as 85%, and a loyalty increase of 3% can correlate to a 10% cost reduction. – Brand Keys

64% say customer experience ore important than price when making a purchase.is m

Gartner

04

On average, women tell about 10 people when they’ve had a poor customer service experience;

men tell 21 people. – American Express

–

A 5% lift in customer retention rates increases profits by

25% to 95%. – Harvard Business Review

TOP 5 WAYS TO ENGAGE 1 Surprise offers/gifts for being a customer (61%)

2 More convenient shopping process (50%)

3 Solve a problem or question (45%)

4 Recommend products based on needs (27%)

5 Keep customers up-to-date on the latest news and products (23%)

– HelloWorld

THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE:

Why It Matters

You’ve signed up to exhibit at an upcoming trade show after

defining your goal (e.g., generate sales leads, launch a new

product or raise awareness of your organization), researching

the number and types of past attendees to ensure they are your

target, and evaluating the booth space and location you’ll get.

In a crowded and visually noisy environment, how do you lure

eventgoers from the entranceway and past competing displays

to your booth?

Consider this three-part signage strategy to make the most of

your opportunity.

1. Attract attention from afar with long-range signs. Think

big as in signage that can be seen across the convention

hall from about 100 feet away or more. Consider back wall

systems, overhead hanging signs and wall banners. Another

option is to post your event signs from a tower or other

elevated position.

2. Draw visitors ever closer with mid-range signage. Mount

banners on the back wall of your display or signs on the front

and sides of your booth. Retractable banner stands in front

of your space are another attention-getting option.

Your mid-range signs should be positioned at or just above

eye level, five to eight feet from the floor. The text should be

sized so it’s readable to those passing within 10 to 50 feet of

your booth.

3. Convey key messages with short-range graphics. The

visitors have arrived, and so has your moment! Now, the

focus of your booth signage should be informational rather

than promotional.

With tabletop displays, wall signs, X-banner stands and

other up-close solutions, tell guests your story. Charts,

infographics and photos should be mounted at eye-

level – five to six feet from the floor – and sized for easy

readability from up to 10 feet away. n

Steps to Prep Your Booth

• Update your brochures and flyers.

Keep the higher value ones aside for

those who express genuine interest.

• Get your giveaways. Choose

promotional products that have plenty

of space for your logo, website address

and phone number.

• Promote special deals. Offer

incentives to those who purchase on

site or agree to a follow-up meeting.

• Put the right people in place. Trade

shows can mean long hours and require

high energy, stamina plus marketing

and sales strengths. You may need a

mix of staff with differing skill sets to

meet and greet . . . then extend the

conversations.

Need help with your event marketing? Count on

us for pre-show communications, onsite signs and

displays, and post-event follow-up ideas.

ISSUE 03 | 2019 05

0606

Reviews, Testimonials and Case Studies

Six Tips to Transform

Customer Feedback into

donors into raving fans; the kind who

W ouldn’t it be great if you

could simply wave a wand and

convert all your customers or

bring other-worldly lifetime value and use

their influence to drive new business and

supporters your way?

The reality is, there are no easy tricks to

conjure customer retention and loyalty.

ISSUE 03 | 2019 07

It takes effort to build and grow

customer relationships so that you

can capture the power of advocacy in

your marketing messages. Consider:

• Nine out of 10 consumers ar e influenced by positive

reviews when buying a product.1

• 80% of 18- to 34-year -olds have written online reviews.2

• 74% of consumers identify wor d-of-mouth as a key

influencer in their purchasing decision.3

Marketers in organizations of all sizes can benefit from

a little help with overcoming prospects’ natural skepticism

of unfamiliar providers. Here are six tips to parlay your

positive customer interactions into marketing and

promotional content that can motivate buyers and inspire

new sales:

Collect feedback as part of your sales process.

Satisfaction surveys can give you fresh perspectives on

your products or services that help you differentiate from

your competitors. And with a steady flow of feedback,

you can better identify specific marketing messaging that

resonates with your customer segments.

What did they say they liked best about doing business

with you? You may think they like it “fast.” They may say

“knowledgeable” or “friendly staff” is most important

and could be key differentiators from your competitors.

08

Surveys can also reveal ways for you to upsell and

cross-sell to current customers when you inquire about

their needs beyond what you’re currently providing.

(See page 2 for more on customer surveys.)

Ask for testimonials.

Through a survey or during a sales follow-up call or visit,

if you want a testimonial or review, simply ask for it. The

more, the better. Research shows the number of reviews

for a business is becoming more important to develop

trust: Consumers say they require an average of 40

online reviews before believing a business’s star rating

is accurate, up from 34 in 2017.4

Do a deeper dive with case studies.

The most effective case studies are narrow in subject,

data-driven and clearly outline how a specific challenge

has been overcome. Avoid obvious, “salesy” language and

focus on the positive results or improvements achieved by

your product or service. Case studies can be particularly

effective to influence those in the middle (consideration

and intent) and late (evaluation and purchase) stages of

the buyer’s journey as they are at the point when they

are seeking confirmation of their decision.

Focus on storytelling.

It’s no mystery that storytelling is a powerful way to

connect with your buyers and potential customers.

Stories can be entertaining and emotional, and as a result,

relatable and memorable. Chances are, your competitors

know it.

ISSUE 03 | 2019 09

According to the Content Marketing Institute, the majority

(64%) of business-to-business content marketers increased

their use of audio/visual content, written digital content

and images compared with a year ago. Three out of four

say they’ve used or developed more long-form content,

ideal for in-depth narrative tales.

Integrate digital, social and print marketing channels.

You’ve done the research. You’ve developed some

original content. Now it’s time to squeeze the most value

from it by repurposing. Case studies can be condensed

and reused in newsletters (printed or electronic) and in

brochures to be mailed or distributed at trade shows and

expos. Online, you can recycle statistics and testimonials

as social posts or website content, and reuse case studies

in blogs or marketing emails.

Reward advocacy.

Referrals are like gold to any business and should

be recognized. The top two incentives provided by

organizations with referral programs are free gifts or

merchandise, and account credit.5

If you don’t have a formal referral program to incentivize

and reward satisfied customers, there are still plenty of

ways to show your appreciation and build loyalty. Host an

invitation-only sales event (live or online) with discounted

pricing or deploy a “sneak peek” sales promotion

campaign with exclusive offers. n

What to Do About a Negative Review

It would be nice if you could just snap your

fingers and disappointment would disappear.

Unfortunately, with online business listings and

social media pages, private business matters

move into the public square with a tap of a

keyboard.

If your organization hasn’t had the task of

handling negative comments, it’s likely only

a matter of time, no matter how refined your

customer service and quality standards may be.

To note:

• One in two millennials has complained about

a brand on social media. – Microsoft

• 89% of consumers read businesses’

responses. – BrightLocal

So what can you do when your reputation is

on the line?

Before you post impulsively, determine if there

is truth to the review. If yes, respond by clearly

outlining the steps you’re taking to make it

right. And be grateful for the knowledge. It’s a

learning opportunity for your team and a chance

to save a relationship. Research shows most

people who are unhappy with a brand will just

leave without complaining.

If you disagree with the comments, it’s

appropriate to offer your perspective using

a polite and professional tone. Then take any

follow-up communication offline, if you can, by

asking to make direct contact with the reviewer

to address the situation.

1Dimensional Research 2, 4BrightLocal 3Ogilvy Cannes 5Demand Metric

Y O U R 2 0 2 0 V I S I O N

T MARKETING

OP 2IDEAS

0Y O U C A N

T A K E T O

T H E B A N K

E ffective marketing communications plans

all have the same general goal: Say the

right thing to the right people at the right time

through the right channels to generate the

action you want . . . at lower costs than can be

accomplished with personal meetings.

Following are helpful tips for a new multi-channel

campaign or to improve upon what you are

already doing. While it’s best to avoid “random

acts of marketing,” we encourage you to

experiment with some of the ideas to strengthen

your communications efforts and help you reach

your goals in 2020.

1 START PLANNING BY ANSWERING THESE

KEY QUESTIONS:

• What’s the goal that communications can

help meet?

• What is the size of your target market?

• What combination of channels should be used

to reach them?

• What can be offered to generate the action

you want?

• How will you measure success for future

improvement?

2 DEVELOP BUYER PERSONAS.

A semi-fictional representation of your ideal

customer based on market research and real data

about your existing customers, personas describe

the pains, motivations, processes, trusted sources

and daily lives of your buyers. In turn, this data

collection allows marketers to tailor messages

that are more likely to resonate.

3 MAXIMIZE DIRECT MAIL. Do small tests

in advance of bigger, more expensive

mailings, and gain a realistic expectation of

response rates. You can also split your list to test

different offers or creative and learn more quickly

what works best.

4 USE THIS SIMPLE FORMULA TO

STRUCTURE YOUR SALES MESSAGE:

Define the problem, promise a solution, explain

the promise, offer proof and give a call to action.

5 TRY LUMPY MAIL. Tubes, boxes or lumpy

envelopes with promotional items inside

can all pique the recipient’s curiosity to open

your mailing. Have a follow-up plan in place for

your sales team.

6 DON’T CONFUSE DIRECT MAIL WITH

GENERAL ADVERTISING. Target the most

likely audience for your mail piece and include

an offer, a call to action and a response vehicle.

“Blanketing” with mail can be ineffective unless

you’re reaching a specific geography.

10

7 FOR E-NEWSLETTERS, INCLUDE A “FORWARD

TO A FRIEND” LINK. Better yet, also include a link

for sign-ups from those friends and colleagues who want

to hear regularly from your organization.

8 MONITOR UNSUBSCRIBES, BOUNCES, OPEN

RATES AND CLICK-THROUGHS. These analytics

might cause you to a change the day of the week you’re

deploying emails, adjust the frequency, try a different

offer or include new content.

9 HOST A SEMINAR OR WEBINAR. Provide

certificates of completion to attendees;

“certification” gives your prospects another reason

to attend.

11

10 CLEAN UP YOUR DATA. By some estimates,

businesses lose as much as 20% of revenue due

to poor data quality. Misspelled names and incorrect or

incomplete addresses are some of the most common

errors in a company database. All spell disaster when

you want to personalize your message.

TARGET PAST INQUIRERS. Research shows those

who are interested but didn’t make the final step

toward a purchase may just need a little more convincing

(or perhaps a stronger offer).

12 SET A SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY.

Always respond to posts, comments or questions.

You should also ask questions related to your industry or

the interests of your followers. For added interest, post

photo and videos, and make sure to tag your followers.

Also watch for spam, and inappropriate comments.

13 CURATE CONTENT. Do you have trouble creating

enough material for social posts or blogs? Be a

content curator, too. This means reading, reviewing and

passing along information that you come across, with

credit to the original source.

14 APPLY KEYWORDS TO VIDEOS. Make sure

your title, description and tags are all keyword

rich, so your visual content appears more often in search

engine results.

15 GO BEHIND-THE-SCENES. What might seem

like common processes to you are likely to be

new and different to a potential customer. A florist might

show a visit to a flower market. A manufacturer could

show a production line in action.

16 INCREASE YOUR ONLINE VISIBILITY.

According to Google, 70% of online searchers

will use local search to find offline businesses. Claiming

your local listings with popular directories (Google My

Business, Google Maps, Yelp, Bing, YP.com) is the single

most valuable thing you can do for online marketing.

17 “REMARKET” YOUR ADS ONLINE. Via a

code added to your website, you’ll automatically

advertise again and again to site visitors who have not

purchased a product, filled out a form or otherwise taken

your desired action. For 30 days, ads will follow these

prospects whenever they visit any of over a million other

sites on the Google Display Network.

18 CONSIDER A WEB-TO-PRINT SOLUTION.

A print eCommerce site offers a competitive edge

with better brand consistency, easy versioning, improved

time management and faster turnaround of personalized

marketing materials for your sales team.

19 INCREASE THE FREQUENCY OF YOUR

MESSAGING. Optimally, use at least three

channels. The Ebbinghaus Memory Curve shows that 80%

of what someone is told will be forgotten within 30 days,

and 70% is forgotten after 48 hours.

20 OUTSOURCE WHEN YOU CAN. According to

the Content Marketing Institute, more than half

of marketers outsource at least part of their content

marketing. Content like videos, ebooks, case studies,

infographics and illustrations all are easily outsourced

to relieve or augment internal marketing teams. n

Need extra support with

planning or executing your

campaigns? Let us know;

we can help.

ISSUE 03 | 2019 11

12

and collect the day’s flyers and bills. Every day it’s the same

You open your email in the morning and you are greeted by

dozens, if not hundreds, of emails. You meet the postman

old thing, so why not break out from the norm, stand out, and

make an impact? Bring back the handwritten letter.

Because the internet is so convenient, it is easy to dash off an

email. But electronic messaging simply does not have the same

impact as a carefully composed letter.

It has become so rare to receive a handwritten correspondence

that the receipt is a celebration to be savored. In the words of

writer and literary critic Anatole Broyard, “In an age like ours,

which is not given to letter-writing, we forget what an important

part it used to play in people’s lives.”

Here are some ways this simple act can boost your visibility and

business success.

You show you care. Taking the time to gather pen and paper

and put your words down without editing tools or spellcheck

takes consideration, an effort that is appreciated by the recipient.

Your heartfelt message in your own handwriting speaks volumes

to convey friendship, thanks, sympathy or congratulations.

You advance your customer relations. Strike gold in your

customer relations initiative by dropping a handwritten note to

your best customers or clients. I recently made an investment

in my business by purchasing my very own bespoke thank-you

notes designed by internationally renowned master calligrapher

Bernard Maisner. Whenever someone receives one of my notes,

I always receive a compliment.

You create a keepsake. Letters can be kept for years and

re-read over and over, which brings your thoughtfulness

to mind frequently. “Letters are among the most significant

memorial a person can leave behind them,” said Johann

Wolfgang von Goethe.

You set yourself apart. When was the last time you received a

handwritten letter? Probably not in many years. Stand out from

the crowd with a few well-crafted phrases set in your unique

handwriting. You will surely be noticed and remembered for

your effort.

You use more of your senses. While typing can be mindless,

studies show that writing integrates three brain processes:

visual, motor and cognitive skills. You see the paper and your

words, you use your fine motor skills to form the words, and you

stimulate your brain to remember the shapes of each letter as

you write.

You have to focus. The act of writing causes you to fully

concentrate on the words you are putting down on paper. You

are forced to move more slowly and are more likely to focus

your thoughts into the message than be distracted by numerous

other tasks. Before I begin writing, I always compose my letter

on the computer first. That way, when I put my thoughts on nice

stationery, I avoid making mistakes.

You reinforce tradition. Up until the 1990s, people used letters

instead of emails to correspond. They cherished the arrival of

a letter that shared news, conveyed affection or sealed a deal.

We lost a piece of history when we stopped writing letters.

Letters are tangible and tactile. They last, while electronic

communications do not. With your letter, you will follow

centuries of tradition and create a memoir to be treasured

long after it is written and sent.

Handwriting a letter may take a little more time, but the effort

will reap benefits many times over. It is a tool worth nurturing

for your business success. n

Jacqueline Whitmore is the founder of The Protocol School of

Palm Beach (EtiquetteExpert.com). This article was originally published

on Entrepreneur.com.

The Business Benefits of the

Handwritten Letter By Jacqueline Whitmore

FUN. FUNCTIONAL. TRENDY.

According to the Promotional Products Association International, these are the three qualities most often cited for why someone keeps a business gift or giveaway.

Above are a few idea-starters for logoed customer appreciation gifts that fit the bill for saying,

“We Appreciate Your Business,” “Thank you” and “You’re the Best!“

Allegra businesses are independently owned and operated.

Loyal customers are…

5 Times

as likely to repurchase

4 Times

as likely to refer

7 Times

as likely to try a new offering

Is it time for you to explore new ways to drive customer loyalty? Allegra can help!

See us for customer retention strategies like surveys, direct mail campaigns, newsletters, ad specialties and gifts, and more!

Source: Temkin Group

Contact Allegra today to get started.